tag: KLA-Tencor

Manufacturing Bits: April 21
By Mark LaPedus - 21 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Fan-out packaging consortium A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and others have formed a high-density fan-out wafer level packaging (FOWLP) consortium in Singapore. Others in the group include Amkor, Nanium, STATS ChipPAC, NXP, GlobalFoundries, Kulicke & Soffa, Applied Materials, Dipsol Chemicals, JSR, KLA-Tencor, Kingyoup Optronics, Orbotech and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK). T... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 17 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

It could be a long year for the equipment industry. First, Intel reduced its 2015 capital expenditure budget to $8.7 billion, plus or minus $500 million. This is down from the previous mid-point guidance of $10.1 billion. As a result of Intel’s announcement, Pacific Crest Securities cut its worldwide 2015 semiconductor CapEx forecast. The new CapEx forecast is now $62.5 billion in 2015. Th... » read more

Next EUV Challenge: Mask Inspection
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 2

Extreme ultraviolet ([gettech id="31045" comment="EUV"]) lithography is still not ready for prime time, but the technology finally is moving in the right direction. The EUV light source, for example, is making progress after years of delays and setbacks. Now, amid a possible breakthrough in EUV, the industry is revisiting a nagging issue and asking a simple question: How do you inspect EUV p... » read more

Flash Dance For Inspection And Metrology
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers are moving from planar technology to an assortment of 3D-like architectures, such as 3D NAND and finFETs For these devices, chipmakers face a multitude of challenges in the fab. But one surprising and oft-forgotten technology is emerging as perhaps the biggest challenge in both logic and memory—process control. Process control includes metrology and wafer inspection. Metrolo... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 20 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

For years, Altera’s sole foundry was TSMC. Then, not long ago, Altera selected Intel as its foundry partner for 14nm. TSMC still handles 20nm and above work for Altera. Now, Altera will soon select a foundry partner for 10nm. “Altera will make a decision on which foundry partner it will choose for 10nm finFET at the end of 1Q15, noting it will decide between Intel and TSMC,” said John Vin... » read more

Searching For 3D Metrology
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 3

In the previous decade, chipmakers made a bold but necessary decision to select the [getkc id="185" kc_name="finFET"] as the next transistor architecture for the IC industry. Over time, though, chipmakers discovered that the finFET would present some challenges in the fab. Deposition, etch and lithography were the obvious hurdles, but chipmakers also saw a big gap in metrology. In fact,... » read more

5 Issues Under The SPIE Radar
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

As usual, the recent SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference was a busy, if not an overwhelming, event. At the event, there were endless presentations on the usual subjects, such as design, patterning, metrology and photoresists. And as in past years, one left the event with more questions than answers. At this year’s event, the most obvious question was (and still is) clear: Will extreme ult... » read more

Issues And Options At 5nm
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

While the foundries are ramping up their processes for the 16nm/14nm node, vendors are also busy developing technologies for 10nm and beyond. In fact, chipmakers are finalizing their 10nm process offerings, but they are still weighing the technology options for 7nm. And if that isn’t enough, IC makers are beginning to look at the options at 5nm and beyond. Today, chipmakers can see a p... » read more

More Lithography Options?
By Mark LaPedus - 03 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 1

Lithographers face some tough decisions at 10nm and beyond. At these nodes, IC makers are still weighing the various patterning options. And to make it even more difficult, lithographers could soon have some new, and potentially disruptive, options on the table. On one front, the traditional next-generation lithography (NGL) technologies are finally making some noticeable progress. For examp... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 27 Feb, 2015 - Comments: 0

At the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference in San Jose, Calif., there were several takeaways. First, the battle for lithography share is heating up at Intel. “We believe Nikon still holds a decent position at Intel, but with ASML gaining some share at 10nm. Nikon could regain some share with its new platform at 7nm, in our view, but it is early to tell. We believe Nikon has improved its posi... » read more

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